I found a schematic on another form for kimocks set up. 2 volume pot,3 way switch, etc. I’m trying to make a white Strat tribute. Does anyone have a detailed schematic for the set up? Including any detailed information on the switch? I had my amp tech do one for me and even after 44 years of working on everything you can think of, he said it was a straight bitch. Many thanks!

"Many are the strange chances of the world,’ said Mithrandir, ‘and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter."

The switch is a 3 way wired like a telecaster = Neck - neck + bridge - bridge.

The neck and bridge pups are wired from switch to the first vol pot. Hot to middle lug.

I think Steve has said that the switch itself is physically oriented backwards. So backwards is forwards and forwards is backwards

He has also said that the bridge pickup is reverse polarity from the neck.

The middle pickup is always on and wired to its own / the 2nd vol pot. A blend. Hot to middle lug.

No tone control.just the 2 vol pots 250k.

Steve has also stressed that strings are part of the equation. Original lipsticks were very weak by design and big strings are what’s needed to get them to sing. I think he uses 14s on the high e. Wound 3rd! Might be something like a dadarrio exl115 set, toss the high e and add a 60 for the bottom lol!

No guarantee this is correct, just going from my best recollection of the last time I recollected it. Good luck!

Larry Natalini told me he put the pickups in that guitar, not sure if he did the wiring that way, or if it was changed later. He told me he messed up on the neck and bridge cuts a bit so he used the silvertone bass rings, they may have been bass pickups too, though they're all the same. I have yet to hear an aftermarket lipstick pickup that sounds like the real deal.

I believe Steve uses a handmade blaster in an altoids can he had made for that guitar specifically. I could be wrong, have been before, but when I spoke with him last on the phone he was looking for something more transparent because he loves those pickups in that guitar!

Larry Natalini told me he put the pickups in that guitar, not sure if he did the wiring that way, or if it was changed later. He told me he messed up on the neck and bridge cuts a bit so he used the silvertone bass rings, they may have been bass pickups too, though they're all the same. I have yet to hear an aftermarket lipstick pickup that sounds like the real deal.

Yup, pickups were reported to have been scavenged from a danelectro coral bass. I think they may have came from a Silvertone 1443 as the pickup rings on that bass are rounder like the ones on his strat. Middle pickup has been reported as a Silvertone. Those Guitar and bass lipstick pickups are really freakin wide at the base, so some cavernous vertical routing would have to be done to get em in. I’ve seen it go wrong first hand lol

+1 good call on the altoids stratoblaster Waldo. I think I remember reading somewhere that Scott walker Made it for him. IMO Those pickups benefit from some push for sure.

Kingsley's a regular on TGP, too. His "handle" is kingsleyd, if you want to reach out also to him. Re: this particular guitar, he posted this 3 years back:

"Scott Walker has started building his unique interpretation of the Strat recipe. He offers a number of options (he is, after all, a custom builder) but the driving idea for Scott, and for me as well, is Kimock's White Strat which is a unique and exceptional-sounding instrument.

My guitar shares the same wiring scheme as Kimock's guitar (albeit with a preamp and buffer, implemented separately), mainly because I have some hands-on experience with it and know it works for me. The bigger, bass-size lipstick pickups are key, for a couple of reasons. One is that they just sound bigger and more dynamic. The other is that they extend well beyond the outer (E) strings so those strings benefit from a fuller magnetic field."

“[P]ersonally I disagree with the general philosophy of ‘genre equals gear’ at anything beyond a cosmetic level. I think the right idea is to find the right amp for you, and then play whatever kind of music you like. The “Jerry Thing” was just Jerry. It wouldn’t have mattered what he used and he used a lot of stuff.” Steve Kimock (The Gear Page 04/08/18)

I’d like a schematic because I haven’t figured out the jumper pattern between the 2 sides of the switch. Also, I haven’t figured out how to get bridge alone without neck and vice versa. I’m fine with the middle being blended in. I’ve seen that you run both hot leads from the bridge and neck to middle lug and then take a connection from outer lug to one position on the switch. Any hand drawing would help me so much

"Many are the strange chances of the world,’ said Mithrandir, ‘and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter."

Try this. Oriented so that we are looking at the underside of the pickguard. The black dots next to the switch are the screws as to indicate orientation of that part. The 3 way switch is wired like a standard telecaster. This is exactly how mine is wired, though I don't claim it to be exactly correct. There is spare little info out there on this guitar, and this is what I've cobbled together over the years. It works for me

I'd also be interested in hearing more about your guitar if you are game to share. Model, pickups used, other parts changed, etc.

Mine is a basswood body routed for three original lipsticks with the big bottom crossbars. It's a japanese squire body and maple neck from the 80's. I just have mine wired as 5 way standard. For some reason this works better than with regular single coils because the 2 and 4 positions don't sound out of phase-y. Total pain in the ass to mount them in strat routes, so I have rings on 2 out of the three. I use Pyramid strings but just 11-50, unlike Kimock who is up to some ungodly gauge. I like this gauge because it's easy to bend and I haven't been able to get used to the wound g thing. I have some scott walker lipsticks but they're fucked up because I ended up cutting wires too short on them. They're really nice too but not like the original dano's. The only aspect of Steve's configuration that I really like is being able to have on all three pups and blend accordingly. I'm just not sure if in position 2 if n and b would be totally out of the equation tonally even if there were at zero volume. Oh and I also like tone control lol. My white strat has all pro cts pots, ceramic .047U caps, a treble bleed on the volume. That's about it. Just ordered two more original danos. Want to see how they differ in sound in an ash bodied guitar

"Many are the strange chances of the world,’ said Mithrandir, ‘and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter."